We have been working since earlier this year to adopt 4 year old Mindy, an orphan with Down’s Syndrome living in eastern Europe. Those of you following this blog know that the past couple of months have been filled with paperwork, home study appointments, running around to local government offices, and more paperwork. We have been so wrapped up in the overwhelming process of adopting, that we felt it was important at this point to step back and re-examine the personal side of this journey.
There are an estimated 600,000 orphans under state care in eastern Europe, 70% of which are physically and/or mentally disabled. Thousands of these children have Down’s Syndrome, and it is estimated that 85-90% of babies born in eastern Europe with Down’s Syndrome are abandoned by the parents into state care. The orphanage system offers minimalistic care in an often austere, overcrowded environment. What’s worse, most special needs orphans, if not adopted by their 4th birthday, are sent away to mental institutions to live their remaining days. Many survive a year or less in these horrific conditions.
As bleak as that sounds, I am not writing this post merely to convey a depressing message. In fact, this is a message of hope! Because as hopeless as those conditions are for the children trapped in them, there are families here in America fighting to give these kids a chance at life. With the help of Reece’s Rainbow Down’s Syndrome Adoption Ministry, families across the country have been connecting with these children and bringing them home, literally saving their lives. In many cases, these families enter into this journey as a pure leap of faith, just knowing that God will provide the will and the means to reach the finish line. But, as the costs of adoption from eastern Europe can exceed $30,000, most families find themselves scrambling to raise money through fundraising and grants.
Our Mindy turned 4 in January and, like most orphans with Down’s Syndrome in eastern Europe, was facing imminent institutionalization. At this point, she is protected as we work through the long and difficult adoption process. We pray that, by Thanksgiving, Mindy will be home with us, joining our family as Our Fifth Girl.
We humbly ask for your help in this journey. There are several ways you can help, depending upon your means and abilities.
1. Financial – please consider a financial donation (fully tax deductible!) to our Family Sponsorship Page at Reece's Rainbow. Any amount would be appreciated more than you know!
2. Buy a Hat – we are selling beautiful, handmade “Muffin Hats” for girls ages 3 months to 3 years. Christy has been making these hats for 15 years and used to sell them commercially. Now, she is making them once again, and all proceeds will be used to help bring our fifth girl home to us.Please consider buying a "Muffin Hat for Mindy". We are selling them for $20. To purchase or get more information, please visit our Muffin Company page on Facebook, or view the order button on the right side of this blog.
3. Visit Our Garage Sale – for our friends and family in the Franklin, TN area, we will be having a garage sale in the Cottonwood subdivision on May 8, 2010. This coincides with the neighborhood wide sale, so make a day of it and stop by. If you have unused items sitting around your house that you would be willing to donate to our sale, please let us know by emailing us at dstatz1@gmail.com. The location of the sale is 176 Riverwood Drive, Franklin, TN 37069. All proceeds from our sale go to our adoption fund.
4. Last, but Not Least – Pray! We can use all the prayers you can muster, and in particular, please pray for the continued safety of Mindy until we can bring her home. Prayer doesn’t cost anything, but the return is immeasurable.
Thank you so much for joining us in our journey to bring home Our Fifth Girl! And PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE pass this message along to anyone you feel would be interested!
God Bless,
David and Christy Statz
“Once our eyes are opened, we can’t pretend we don’t know what to do. God, who weighs our hearts and keeps our souls, knows that we know, and holds us responsible to act” Proverbs 24:12
